The toddler stage is full of hands-on exploration and a world just waiting to be discovered! It is typical to see toddlers reaching and grabbing for anything within grasp as their brain works hard to make connections with both what they can see and what they can touch. The toddler experience at LHIP includes:

• Increased Language Development: By this age, toddlers typically possess at least 50 words. Expressive language is growing rapidly as our teachers share new words for the children to hear and understand in appropriate context while also encouraging the children to use their words when they need to communicate. Toddlers begin to move away from crying and making non-sensical sounds as their primary mode of communication to now using hand signals and words. They begin to understand that words have meaning and power. 

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Social Emotional Intelligence: Toddlers are beginning to have an awareness of their own emotions and the emotions of others. They start to recognize when they or someone else is happy or sad. In our classrooms, we nurture empathy and intentionally identify when feelings are happening around us. For example, you might hear a teacher say, “Billy is feeling sad. Let’s go check on him. Are you ok, Billy?” Or you might hear, “Sarah, I see you are crying. Why are you sad? Can you use your words to tell me why you are sad?” Through real life situations and pretend play, social roles and emotional identity are explored in a safe and loving environment.